


Contagious Happiness

by Ghost_fox_in_training



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy & Pansy Parkinson Friendship, Drunk Blaise Zambini, Drunk Draco Malfoy, Drunk Harry Potter, Drunk Hermione Granger, Drunk Ron Weasley (Implied), Ginsy, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Hogwarts Inter-House Unity, Lesbian Ginny Weasley, Mild Language, Pining Pansy, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Post-War, Quidditch, Quidditch Player Ginny Weasley, Seeker boyfriends, The sun is shining and so are the gays, everyone is happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 17:38:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14477814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghost_fox_in_training/pseuds/Ghost_fox_in_training
Summary: Pansy watches a Gryffindor v Slytherin quidditch match in the boiling sun and spends most of it watching Ginny Weasley.orPansy pines and Draco is most helpful when he's drunk.This is my first fanfiction ever so any feedback on my portrayal of the characters would be infinitely helpful! :)





	Contagious Happiness

Pansy was sure Ginny was glowing. The sun had decided to play all high and mighty just as the Slytherin and Gryffindor quidditch teams were marching out to the pitch. And while Pansy felt as though her very skin might melt off her bones with the heat of it, Ginny appeared entirely unaffected. She sped around the pitch, twisting this way and that, her hair trailing like fire behind her. Pansy had never worn quidditch gear, and she hoped she never had to, briefly wondering whether or not the various protective pads had any sort of ventilation. She could not, however, bring herself to think that Ginny Weasley looked anything less than divine, even with sweat darkening her hairline. 

The game began and Pansy was swept up in the roar of the crowd, suddenly caring very little that her inky black hair was sticking to the back of her neck. The once-bitter seekers dived and twisted together, the wide grins on their faces matching those in the crowd as Hogwarts’ favourite power couple shouted good-natured obscenities at one another. Bludgers grazed broom handles as the quaffle flew through hoop after hoop after hoop. Both teams were on top form. This was Pansy’s favourite kind of match, when both houses had a shot at victory with not a hex in sight. Since Draco and Harry had gotten together, their daily interactions had become far less animalistic, but the quidditch interactions certainly had not. The old rivalry had died hard in the classroom but it had indeed died. On the Quidditch pitch however, well that was a different story. These were the two most competitive Hogwarts houses after all. No new relationship was going to stop beater Greggory Goyle from walloping the bludgers in the (mostly inaccurate) vicinity of the Gryffindor chasers. 

Pansy found herself torn between cheering for Slytherin and gazing at Ginny, the two tasks seemed impossible to manage at the same time. So she alternated, going quiet when the copper haired chaser caught her eye. Which was to say she was quiet a lot of the time. 

The whistle sounded for a two minute break and the teams relaxed their grips, some choosing to land, others, like Ginny, choosing to glide around the pitch’s perimeter for a moment. Pansy rolled her eyes as a chorus of coos sounded from a group of second years behind her. Draco and Harry had predictably decided that mid-air was a wonderful place for a kiss. She grinned with them despite herself, wondering briefly if that sort of happiness was contagious. Moments later the grin slid off her face and Pansy was sure her heartbeat was echoing across the pitch. None other than Ginny sodding Weasley had come to a halt only metres in front of a grossly sweating Pansy Parkinson. The two girls locked eyes for a moment, dark ones filled with embarrassment at having been seen like that by eyes as golden as those looking at her then. But in those golden orbs Pansy saw nothing like judgment, only joy. Pure uncensored joy. Pansy felt her heart leap to her throat as Ginny turned her grin directly on her. She grinned like Pansy had said something funny, or like she was happy to see her and all too soon Pansy blinked and Ginny was soaring back across the pitch to the rest of her team, leaving the dumbstruck Slytherin gaping after her. 

Pansy. Was. Fucked. 

The rest of the match had flown by, literally. Pansy had been stuck like a broken record, replaying Ginny’s smile over and over until she’d given up on trying to join in with the frankly undignified hollering of the rest of the school. She’d lost focus on the score, not caring how close the call was. Each time a bludger skimmed past the redhead Pansy felt herself wince. It was ridiculous really. How much she wanted to hex Goyle after he hit a bludger particularly close, an almost-disaster that would definitely have knocked Ginny out cold had it been an inch closer. 

Gasps broke out around the stands as Harry and Draco suddenly switched from flying the perimeter to taking a very sharp incline. Pansy squinted, just spotting the golden snitch only a couple of metres from the pair. Hands outstretched, they raced and they raced, one inching ahead only for the other to close the gap a moment later. The entire audience was focused on the seekers, ignoring those closer to the ground. 

The snitch switched direction like it’d hit the ceiling. 

Both seekers slowed, following it with intense gazes.

A split second passed and Draco pulled his Nimbus over. Backwards. 

Pansy felt her heart leap with fear and with pride. That right there was her best friend. Flying upside down to catch the snitch. 

Draco soon righted himself, now several metres in front of his boyfriend. 

He closed the gap inch by inch, metre by metre, until the sparkling prize was right at his fingertips. 

The stands started to shake with the celebrations of the Slytherins and Pansy found herself breaking into a smile. Draco soared gracefully around the pitch, the golden snitch clutched tightly in his right hand and a wide smile plastered across his features. Harry could be seen hovering in the middle of the pitch, clapping and cheering, his emerald eyes shining with pride as he watched Draco. The Slytherin team dived and twisted and rolled in breathless celebration, loud whoops of victory echoed across the stands. On the ground, the Gryffindor team shouted their congratulations, celebrating the end of the game like they had won it themselves. When Draco and Harry met in the middle for a second mid-air make out session, wolf whistles erupted from both teams. Pansy decided it was unlikely she’d ever be used to the distinct lack of menacing jeers and insults, she was glad though. The war had been enough to wear down people’s appetite for dramatics and unpleasantness in general, leaving the whole school more unified than any tea leaves or crystal ball could ever have predicted. 

And then there was Ginny. Completely open and comfortable, surrounded by friends and family, heart-joltingly good on a broom, and absolutely fucking stunning, Ginny Weasley. Pansy found for the umpteenth time that day that she couldn’t remove her eyes from the chaser as she laughed and joked with everyone on the pitch. Had Pansy not had any sense of self preservation, she would have cheered her name, told her she’d done well, sprinted onto the pitch and swept her up in a hug. Pansy felt a pang of hurt settle in her chest at the thought that she had remarkably slim chances of ever becoming that person for the copper haired beauty. She shook off the thought, squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. She may never stand beside the other as she would like, but there was nothing wrong with indulging in her company. 

Pansy made quick work of the stairs and strolled confidently to the huddle of sweaty quidditch players. She let the smile stay put, as she had done more frequently as of late. A second chorus of wolf whistles sounded as Hermione ran right into Ron’s embrace, congratulating him on his keeping with a passionate kiss. Pansy’s smile grew just a little wider, deciding that this kind of happiness was indeed somewhat contagious. The cropped haired girl marched on regardless of the commotion, intent on congratulating those who weren’t exercising their mouths. But mostly Ginny, implicitly of course. Upon reaching the group, Pansy was welcomed with a dose of non-sun-related warmth, the smiles still glowing on flushed faces. Draco, having detached himself from Harry’s face, greeted her with a loose hug, deeming it too warm for a proper one. 

“Well done Dray, you looked fabulous out there.” She said, giving him a swift kiss on the cheek, grimacing internally at the feeling of damp skin beneath her matte black lips. 

“Thanks Pans.” Draco replied, turning his sunniest smile on her. She turned discretely, observing the other players from close up. ~ well fuck that was a mistake ~ Ginny was as sweaty as the rest of them, but unlike the disgusted feeling that rose when she looked at the dark patches on Draco’s uniform, Pansy felt rather a lot like she wanted to know where the drips of moisture were headed as they travelled down the redhead’s neck. Pansy noticed her slack jaw a moment later, snapping her mouth shut and praying to Merlin that no one had noticed. A glance back to her best friend told her he certainly had noticed. She glared silently at him, her previously jovial expression morphing into a stormy one. Draco smirked, his eyes glinting curiously. Pansy sighed, eyes dropping briefly as she accepted the wave of embarrassment. Draco’s eyes widened, realising perhaps that this was a rather serious dilemma, and nodded one short nod, eyes sincere and smile gentle. Pansy relaxed a little and thanked Merlin that Draco was half decent. Pansy knew he wouldn’t judge her, he was dating Harry sodding Potter for merlin’s sake, but a couple of years ago he would have poked fun at Pansy relentlessly. Quite frankly she was certain she wouldn’t enjoy that any more than the time he’d spent weeks bringing up her temporary infatuation with Astoria Greengrass. Sometimes she wondered if behaviours like that had made it through the war, she was very pleased to see they had not. 

By the time she and Draco had finished conversing in eye language and she turned back to ogle the redhead some more, the Gryffindor team, minus Harry, had all gone inside. Pansy sighed quietly and made a note to congratulate her later. 

 

The afternoon soon faded into evening and Pansy found herself seated alone at the Slytherin table in the great hall for dinner. She had a leafy green nail polish open and one hand on her fork, carefully alternating between the stroke of the brush and the roasted meats on her plate. The peace was soon split as the doors opened dramatically, a stream of chattering students pouring in. Sighing, Pansy looked up to glare in annoyance. She stopped short of scowling as she saw a mixture of red and green ties and quidditch jumpers in the group. All of which were headed to the Slytherin table. 

This wasn’t exactly uncommon. It had become tentative tradition on the return of the students after the war. After a particularly good quidditch game before the weekend, the two houses that played were often seen on the same table, making plans for the after party in the evening. As usual Harry and Draco were taking the lead, Hermione and Ron only a step behind, with the rest of the players and some tag-along party animals following the stars of the school. Usually Pansy would be anything but nervous. But this time Draco knew her secret, and was bringing the focus of it to where she had been sitting, oh so relaxed until then. 

She barely had time to put the lid back on the nail polish bottle before Draco was slipping gracefully into the space beside her, Harry plonking himself unceremoniously on his other side. Luckily she was at the end of the table, thus avoiding being completely surrounded by people. Unluckily whilst Ron and Hermione sat opposite to Harry and Draco, Ginny slid onto the bench directly opposite Pansy. The redhead was completely wrapped up in the conversation, smile wide and eyes bright. Pansy glanced up at her through her fringe, willing the blush from her otherwise pale cheeks and for her heart to slow the fuck down. Draco nudged her sharply in the rips with his elbow, leaning over to whisper in her ear. 

“You look miserable. And nervous. Sit up straight.” Pansy laughed inwardly ~ ha. straight. ~ but sat up all the same. She continued to stab aimlessly at her food, intent on avoiding speaking unless absolutely necessary. 

“So, Pansy” Ginny began, her eyes widening in panic as the dark eyed girl choked on her pumpkin juice. Pansy felt her cheeks flood with colour. “Are you ok!” The redhead fumbled with the jug of water, filling a spare goblet. Pansy glanced at the offering and nodded, still coughing. Eventually Pansy took a sip from the goblet, smiling sheepishly in thanks. ~ oh merlin what’s happening to me ~ Ginny kept the worried expression on her face for just a while longer, glancing every so often to make sure the other girl was still breathing properly. Once she deemed Pansy clear of coughs she cleared her throat. Jet black hair whipped round to face her, an almost startled expression on the pale face it framed.  
“So I’m sorry for making you jump” Ginny began again with a short, nervous laugh “I was just gonna ask you what you thought of the match today.” Pansy pinched the back of her hand under the table, jolting her from her stupor. She’d heard that voice many times. When the redhead was talking to her friends, when she argued with her brother at mealtimes, even in Pansy’s dreams. And yet Pansy couldn’t recall ever having the girl speak to her directly and in real life. ~ well, except from three minutes ago when I choked on air because she spoke… merlin fuck ~ 

“Oh that’s quite alright” Ginny sighed a breath of relief, her face relaxing visibly “and the match was brilliant! You looked amazing out there!” Pansy’s tone had gone up in excitement rather rapidly, recalling the atmosphere of the game. Ginny’s eyes lit up and Pansy’s breath caught in her throat. 

“Really?” Pansy nodded, a wide smile on her face. “Well, thank you.” Ginny grinned at the black haired girl, and once again she felt like she’d been hit in the chest by a stray ray of sunshine. Pansy stayed like that for a while, gazing at the redhead’s side profile as she spoke with the others, looking away or smiling back when she turned to face her.  
Once everyone had finished dinner, it was time for the party. The Gryffindors split off from the Slytherins to get ready and Pansy felt her shoulders drop the tension they’d held all through dinner. Now this she could do. Ignoring a pointed look from Draco, Pansy made her way to her dorm room, finding her outfit spread out on her bed, just the way she’d left it this morning. 

A black, high-waist, mini skirt paired with a black lace top through which a leafy green bandeau would be visible. A pair of fishnet tights in the same green as her bandeau were to adorn her alabaster legs, and finish up in a pair of black stiletto heels. If there was one thing she knew, it was that she looked positively sinful in this particular getup. As she had been told by many an overconfident man and occasionally the less shy of the young ladies. Oh but what she would give to have Ginny Weasley be one of those ladies. Pansy felt her head swim as she imagined what the redhead could possibly be wearing. There was no doubt she’d make Pansy’s heart stop. That was almost a given by now. But how long would Pansy be officially dead? The potential number of minutes was rather terrifying. 

 

A welcoming roar erupted from the Slytherin dungeons as the Gryffindors trailed in, holding their various alcoholic beverages aloft. Pansy could almost hear certain members of her house struggling to catch their breath. The Gryffindors cleaned up nice. Very nice. Pansy suppressed a snort at the look on Draco’s face; slack jawed and eyes bulging from their sockets as Harry came towards him, a slightly smug look on his own face. But Pansy, and anyone with eyes, could see his own very appreciative scan of his boyfriend. Approximately half a second later the smirk was wiped clean off Pansy’s face. It seemed that perhaps her heart would be still for long enough for people to notice, to announce her dead even. If Ginny was glowing before, she was entirely golden now. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, swishing enticingly as she walked, her strong legs clad in skin tight jeans. A form-fitting button down, short sleeved shirt hugged her figure in a crisp white that made her hair stand out far more than the red and gold of her quidditch uniform. The sneakers the redhead was wearing meant that for once Pansy was taller, but not by much. 

It took Pansy a moment to realise whose eyes she was staring into. Of course when she did her face flushed a shocking pink, tearing her gaze away only to have it land on Draco who had recovered from his own malfunctioning only to start laughing at hers. Embarrassment welled up inside her, the overwhelming urge to run coming on like a wave. She pushed it out, scowling at her so-called best friend and turned to get a drink. And boy was she going to need it. 

 

The party was in full swing when Pansy began to regret all of her life choices. Her shoe choice, her choices of best friend, her decision to watch that day’s game. But most of all she regretted agreeing to play seven minutes in heaven. 

It was easy at first, with so many people around the circle she watched giggling pairs leave and return rather dishevelled. Soon enough some of those pairs left the game to continue what they’d started. Eventually the only people who hadn’t ditched the game were Pansy, Draco, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Blaise, Luna, and Ginny. Needless to say, Pansy was now very tense. 

The game had turned rather silly. Drunk Hermione couldn’t stop giggling. Draco had lost all of his filters and was now determined to make Harry blush with increasingly obscene pickup lines. Blaise was falling asleep, occasionally mumbling incoherently about Theodore Nott. Neither Ginny nor Luna had been drinking, with one just a year too young and the other claiming that wrackspurts were attracted to drunk people. All in all Luna and Ginny were the most logically thinking beings in the room, and that thought terrified Pansy. 

And then it was Ginny’s turn to spin. Terror took on a new meaning as it thrummed throughout Pansy’s subconscious. The redhead was, at this point, also red-cheeked from her excessive dancing early on in the evening and Pansy was finding it embarrassingly hard to handle. Time seemed to slow as Ginny reached out and spun the empty beer bottle. Pansy refused to blink as it spun, like she would miss the result if she took her eyes off the table. The bottle started to slow. Pansy’s heartrate skyrocketed briefly as the bottle came to face her. But then it moved on one. Pointing squarely at Luna. 

Pansy felt both intense relief and a sharp jab of jealousy as the girls giggled nervously, exchanging an eye-conversation that Pansy supposed was a silent plea for consent. The thought made her feel sick. Ginny shifted, a hesitant motion to get up from her spot on the rug. Luna mimicked her, a serene expression still on her slightly flushed face. How she kept calm Pansy would never know. 

It was at that precise moment that Draco managed to tear his gaze from Harry’s bicep long enough to break the quiet and put Pansy in her grave. 

“Heyyy Weasleby why didn’t you pick Panssyyyyyy?” Draco slurred “she really wants you to kiss herrrr.” A beat of silence rang through the group, deafening. Pansy vowed then and there to destroy Draco fucking Malfoy, to plant hexes in his underwear and curses on his hair products, to tear h- 

“Really?” A soft voice caught Pansy’s ear. She ripped her death glare from Draco’s smug, drunk face to find an astonished and… smiling… Ginny Weasley. Her gaze softened immediately. The redhead was bouncing her leg up and down but that was the only sign of nerves, her hazel eyes bore steadily into Pansy’s darker ones. The Slytherin suddenly felt a great bout of envy. She really could use a bit of Gryffindor courage right about now. Pansy kept the eye contact, waiting for a frown or a sneer or for the redhead to run from the room in horror. No such thing happened. Instead there was an intense curiosity and a… hopefulness… that pooled in the other girl’s eyes. Pansy’s only indicator of any time passing was the gentle melody of some kind of muggle music an eighth year Hufflepuff had brought with her. 

Ginny shifted uncomfortably, wondering if maybe asking had been too much of a leap. Pansy fought to calm her breathing as she gathered the few strands of courage she could find in the wide eyes in front of her. Jet black hair swished as if they all needed proof that Pansy’s head was indeed moving. Nodding. Ginny’s smile grew into a grin, a bolt of lightning to Pansy’s heart. “Well uh, I’d rather like to kiss you too.” Pansy’s heart leapt, once, twice, thrice. It was a sudden round of applause that broke the girl from her apparent paralysis. Draco whooped like he did when he caught the snitch and Pansy felt a grin take over her features, making her eyes sparkle. Her expression was mirrored on the redhead’s face, and by merlin was it a beautiful face. 

Pansy leapt to her feet, her courage strengthened, and offered a hand to Ginny. 

“Would you like to get out of here?” Ginny blushed further and smiled a shy smile that reached her eyes.

“Absolutely.”

The wolf whistles followed them up to Pansy’s dorm room, neither girl willing to shut them down. Pansy decided that maybe she should watch quidditch more often.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated! :) x


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